Today on Total Retail

If 2023 marked brands' initial steps into integrating generative artificial intelligence into their e-commerce strategies, 2024 is set to witness its explosive growth. There's palpable anticipation as conversational commerce gears up — and not just for major industry players, but gradually becoming accessible to brands of all sizes. Consider conversational commerce and dynamic personalization. These…

Seemantini Godbole, executive vice president, chief digital and information officer, joined Lowe's in 2018. In a discussion this week at NRF's 2024 Big Show with Scott Rankin, principal and global head of strategy at KPMG, Godbole said when she was brought into the company, "there was a lot of things to be desired from a…

It comes with the cold and the falling leaves: The mounting horror that time is running out. It was already December and I hadn’t thought once about Christmas presents. I'm not an especially talented gift-giver, and my family doesn't have easily satisfied tastes. Every year I find myself daydreaming about a polite, hypercompetent professional who…

Retail is changing significantly as new technologies pave the way for future shopping experiences free of friction. With the industry projected to witness exponential growth in artificial intelligence (AI), reaching more than $50 billion by 2030 from just over $6 billion in 2022, this year promises to be a pivotal moment in retail’s digitization. Here…

Climate change poses significant business risks to retailers. Changing consumer sentiments, investor expectations and government regulations will require businesses to fundamentally change their operations, procurement practices and product mixes to adapt to the low-carbon economy. Retailers face a complex challenge in reducing their carbon footprint because Scope 3 emissions — generated by a company’s value…

At times of economic uncertainty, retailers look closely at costs to ensure they're spending efficiently. Because of how difficult it is to truly assess return on investment, many cost-conscious business leaders cut advertising dollars early and often. While this tends to be a first line of defense against economic headwinds, it's not the most effective.…

The holidays are big business. That’s not going to come as a shock to anybody — but just how important are they to America’s economy? The latest figures from Adobe Analytics show that from November 2023 to December 2023, Americans spent more than $222 billion shopping online. That activity was largely driven by an increase…

In a keynote presentation at the ICR Conference in Orlando, FL earlier this month, Jim Conroy, chief executive officer of Boot Barn, detailed four growth strategies the retailer is focused on in 2024. Boot Barn, the nation's leading lifestyle retailer of western and work-related footwear, apparel and accessories, is one of the fastest-growing companies in the…

It's no secret the holiday season is the most crucial time of the year for most retailers, and for good reason. In the United States, consumers were expected to spend a record amount to celebrate the season. To capitalize on last year’s holiday rush, retailers needed to provide fast, personalized online and in-store shopping experiences,…

The fashion industry is still struggling to meet the expectations of a consumer base that has become increasingly conscious of the environmental and social impact of their clothing choices. In the U.S., 80 percent of consumers indicate that sustainability is a crucial factor when selecting a fashion brand. Younger shoppers in particular have shown that…